Welcome to getactiveabc

This website contains information and links to all Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council's Health & Wellbeing departments offerings. Here you can find out what facilities, activities, memberships and events we offer. Our goal is to help improve the overall health and wellbeing of residents through collective prevention and intervention efforts.

Latest News

The children’s play park at Tannaghmore Gardens and Rare Breed Animal Farm is receiving an investment of a quarter of a million pounds to completely upgrade it – and work is due to start in March! The attraction, which is popular with schools and families all year round, boasts a rare breeds animal farm, maze, […]

Residents are invited to come along and have their say on a proposed play park in Avenue Road. Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is hosting a public meeting at Avenue Road Community Centre on Wednesday 27th February at 7.00pm to discuss the equipment, layout and design. At the meeting residents will be given […]

Free Tai Chi for Health classes will be taking place in Brownlow Community Hub starting on 25th February until Monday 8th April 2019 from 10.00am – 11.00am. Tai Chi for health is a series of relaxed, gentle movements that can improve fitness, muscle strength, flexibility, balance and reduce the risk of falling. Tai Chi is […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council will be holding a public meeting in Aghacommon on the 29th January as it forges ahead with implementing its play strategy and delivering its ambitious programme of improving outdoor play provision for all children across the borough. With the public meeting organised, residents in each locality are encouraged […]

Santa Claus and some of his special Elves will be taking time out of their busy schedule to give little boys and girls the opportunity to visit them in their Magical Grotto at the Orchard Leisure Centre from Friday 7 December to Saturday 22 December. Children will be able to write their letter to Santa […]

It is now widely recognised that the early years of a child’s life represent a unique opportunity in the life cycle for brain development. The first three years of life mark the fastest growth in brain development for humans and as such is a crucial time for social, emotional and cognitive development.

PlayBoard NI’s Play Awareness sessions for Parents are designed specifically for parents and carers. This half-day Play Awareness session will strengthen parents understanding of play and its importance to the growth and development of their children. They will also gain practical ideas which they can incorporate into their homes or local community to enhance opportunities for […]

Winter is here and it’s getting colder and darker – but it’s still a great time for getting children of all ages outdoors. We just need to EMBRACE the weather! Have a playful and positive attitude towards the winter season; show your children that winter can be fun. Try to model ways to be playful […]

Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council is offering financial assistance to eligible groups in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector for the period 1st April 2019 – 31st March 2020 for: Running costs (for eligible organisations) Programmes Events Funding is available through the following grant programmes: Community Grants Arts, Culture and Events Grants […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are developing a new five year Aquatics Framework for the Borough for 2019 – 2024. The Framework will focus on working together with key stakeholders to develop the area of aquatics, which includes all aspects of swimming pool related activities and outdoor swimming. As part of this consultation […]

Please see information about a new programme to be held at People’s Park Portadown. We are offering 20 FREE places for boys and girls aged between 5-8 who do not play for any club at present. This four week programme will offer coaching plus free equipment at the conclusion of the four weeks. Please note […]

This Halloween, prepare for a scare as Portadown People’s Park will once again be transformed into a spine-chillingly creepy setting with their annual Spooktacular event on Tuesday 30th October. Promising to be ghastly, ghostly and gruesome as well as a lot of fun, make sure you get your hands on some tickets and don’t miss out! […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council will be holding two public meetings in the Brownlow area of Craigavon this fortnight as it forges ahead with implementing its play strategy and delivering its ambitious programme of improving outdoor play provision for all children across the borough. With a public meeting organised in the Moyraverty and […]

This Autumn, young swimmers across the Borough will benefit from a fresh new getactiveabc Swim School programme thanks to a partnership with the STA (Swimming Teachers’ Association). The new getactiveabc Swim School will be operate at the Orchard Leisure Centre, Banbridge Leisure Centre, Craigavon Leisure Centre, Waves Leisure Complex and Cascades Leisure Complex and aims […]

School may be back but the fun doesn’t stop at Portadown Peoples Park as a new term of Sportz & Beatz Zone kicks off for a sensational new season of high energy fun for young people aged 12 to 17 years. Starting on Friday 7 September from 6.00– 8.00pm and running for 8 weeks the […]

On Friday 24 August, Richhill Recreation Centre celebrated the last day of the 2018 Crazy Summer Scheme, the centre organised a Fun Day with Bouncy Castles, fun and games which was enjoyed by all, including the Lord Mayor Councillor Julie Flaherty. The Summer Schemes took place in Tandragee, Keady and Richhill Recreation Centre from Monday […]

The following table highlights which leisure centres will be open over the August Bank Holiday (27th) and their opening hours. Site CLC Closed Cascades Closed Waves 9am – 5pm BLC 9am – 5pm OLC 9am – 5pm

Play Matters: Space, Place and Permission to Play Space, place and permission are interrelated factors that have a significant impact on children’s play experiences. Due to an array of environmental, technological and societal factors, opportunities for children to play freely outdoors are on the decline. The relationship between environmental opportunities for play and the wind […]

ASPIRE is a skills initiative developed by Farrans’ Community Engagement team. In partnership Farrans and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council would like to extend an invitation to those who are unemployed and students who are interested in studying any construction/ground maintenance related subjects. The age requirement for this programme is 17 years […]

The Lord Mayor, Councillor Julie Flaherty recently visited the Crazy Summer Schemes taking place at Tandragee and Keady Recreation Centres. The fun filled Summer Schemes started at the beginning of July, with between 60 to 80 children attending daily and will continue until Friday 24 August. The children are taking part in lots of action […]

There’s still time for young sports fans to sign up for the finest fun filled activity camps in the Banbridge area as part of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s Summer Activity Programme for Young People From Monday 6 to Friday 10 August, Rathfriland Community Centre will be hosting a high energy Dance camp […]

Celebrate National Play Day on Wednesday 1st August with a fantastic day of fun FREE activities for children of all ages to enjoy! As part of the annual celebration of children’s right to play and its importance in their lives, the National Play Day events kick off in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon […]

Lord Mayor, Councillor Julie Flaherty officially launched the new fitness equipment at Keady Recreation Centre following a £55,000 investment to transform the gym into a state of the art fitness haven. The new fitness equipment provided by Podium 4 Sport includes treadmills, cross trainers, ski-ergs, rowers, elliptical trainers, climbers and bikes. Some of the equipment […]

July 2018 ARRANGEMENTS Changes to the facilities and services provided by Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council across the wider Craigavon area during the July holiday period are: BIN COLLECTIONS Bins due to be collected on Thursday 12 July will be collected on Saturday 7 July. Bins due to be collected on Friday 13 […]

Lord Mayor, Cllr Julie Flaherty and pupils from P3 at Hardy Memorial Primary School in Richhill were getting into the Summer spirit at the launch of the Crazy Summer Schemes at Richhill Recreation Centre. The schemes will take place from Monday 2 July to Friday 24 August at Richhill, Keady and Tandragee Recreation Centre and […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are making a splash with the return of the £1 Junior Swim offer at leisure centres across the borough. Banbridge Leisure Centre, Cascades Leisure Centre, Craigavon Leisure Centre, Orchard Leisure Centre and Waves Leisure Centre will all be providing the popular deal which allows children and young […]

No man is an island, but the National Trust is offering men and women the chance to live on their own island by putting an historic home on Lough Neagh up for rent. Coney Island (not to be mistaken for its namesakes in Co Down or New York) is a nine-acre island located 1km off […]

Two local play parks are getting significant investment through Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s Capital Play Development Programme – and work is due to start on Monday 18thJune on the exciting new designs and installation. Loughbrickland and Magheralin play parks will see a total of £200,000 being invested to completely refurbish and transform […]

Poyntzpass has a brand new Play Park which was officially opened by the Lord Mayor recently – and the local community turned out in force to celebrate! Children from the two local primary schools – Poyntzpass Primary School and St Joseph and St James Primary School – along with community representatives, contractors, elected members and […]

Three brand new play parks were officially opened across Portadown this week – and around 50 local school children were lucky enough to come along to the openings and play on the new equipment! The Lord Mayor of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon, Alderman Gareth Wilson, cut the ribbon at Drumilly Green Play Park, Brownstown Play […]

RESCHEDULED EVENT Lurgan Park Friday 22ND JUNE 2018 6pm – 8.30pm A FREE and fun filled family event, hosted by Siobhan McGarry. Something for everybody: listen to music, buy delicious food, meet the players and their spectacular trophies, an ideal opportunity for a selfie. An event not to be missed! SUPPORTED BY ST. MARY’S PIPE […]

If you have registered for Sunday’s Heart & Sole Colour Dash – don’t forget to pick up your event pack, it includes the white t-shirt you need to wear to be able to start the run. Bring along your confirmation email to House of Sport/Intersport, Rushmere Shopping Centre – Wed, Thurs, Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 9am-6pm. […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council will start work this month on implementing a new play strategy that will see some 44 play parks across the borough upgraded at an estimated cost of £4.75m over the next five years. Delivered as part of a multi-phase rolling refurbishment programme, the council has allocated the first […]

At Macmillan Cancer Support we want to listen to and understand the experiences, views and needs of people affected by cancer, so that we can provide services that best meet those needs. We would love you to join us for a community event where you will have the opportunity to: • Meet and talk to […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has appointed Farrans, one of the UK and Ireland’s largest and most successful building contractors to construct the new South Lakes Leisure Centre. The company have moved on site to begin initial early works for the new leisure development. The impending works that are taking place on […]

Council would like to apologise to our customers who experienced inconvenience this morning when trying to access the paths around Craigavon Lakes. The contractors appointed to build the new leisure centre had to temporarily close this path to allow ground works to take place. The path has now reopened to allow full access to the […]

Lurgan Junior Parkrun – Weekly free 2k timed run for Juniors! Junior Parkrun is a series of 2k runs for children aged between 4 and 14. They are held in areas of open space around the UK. They are open to all, free, and are safe and easy to take part in. If you are […]

Heart & Sole Colour Dash is back & bigger for 2018! It’s back! The hugely popular Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s Heart & Sole Colour Dash 2018 will be bursting into Lurgan Park on Sunday 13th May. You don’t have to be an athlete to take part, you can run, walk or […]

EASTER 2018 ARRANGEMENTS Changes to the facilities and services provided by Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council across the wider Craigavon area during the Easter holiday period are: BIN COLLECTIONS Bins will be collected as normal on Friday 30th March and Tuesday 3rd April. Bins due to be collected on Monday 2nd April […]

Clare Glen Caravan Park was officially reopened by Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough, Alderman Gareth Wilson on Friday 16 March in the presence of elected members, John Hill from the British Graded Holiday Parks Scheme and members of the public following recent refurbishment works. The Park had been closed during the […]

Farrans to start preparatory work for new leisure facility ahead of 2020 official opening Early-stage planning and initial enabling works necessary to create a new, multi-million sports and leisure facility in Craigavon are under way, paving the way for the construction of a new flagship health and wellbeing destination with facilities that will rival […]

At a recent visit to Richhill Recreation Centre, Lord Mayor, Cllr Alderman Gareth Wilson was delighted to launch the Council’s Easter Fun Clubs with pupils from Hardy Memorial Primary School in Richhill. The Fun Clubs will be taking place at Tandragee Recreation Centre from Wed 28 to Fri 30 March, Wed 4 to Fri 6 […]

Service Disruptions # 3rd March Update # Last updated 16:16 3rd March 2018 Due to damage caused by the recent cold weather, Orchard Leisure Centre will remain closed until further notice. Orchard Leisure Centre will return to normal opening hours on Sunday 4th March. However the cafe remains closed due to water damage See facility […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has teamed up with Macmillan Cancer Support and Southern Health and Social Care Trust to launch ‘Move More’ – an innovative project to help anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer in the local area to get active and remain active. Macmillan Cancer Support funds the Move More […]

Children and young people living in Armagh and wishing to learn to swim will have more opportunities to do so with the introduction of four new swimming programmes at the Orchard Leisure Centre implemented by the new Swimming Co-coordinator Emma Crawford. The programmes will commence week beginning the 8 January 2018 and are suitable for […]

The following centres will be closed on the following dates for essential staff training: Waves Leisure Complex – Thursday 21st December 2017 The centre will open from 07:30 and will close 09:00 for staff training. The following facilities will open again: Health Suite – 17:00—09:15 Bodyzone Fitness Suite – 17:00—09:30 Banbridge Leisure Centre […]

Craigavon spearheads £30m world class leisure centre after planning go-ahead Planning permission granted for new multi-million-pound leisure development will deliver first class facilities for a new era of better health, wellbeing and sporting ambition Craigavon’s new state-of-the-art £30 million leisure centre plans have been given a seal of approval by the local planning […]

11th December 2017 Free swimming for everyone at all council leisure centres! The run-up to Christmas can sometimes see stress levels rising with all of the planning, organisation, shopping, wrapping and cooking! So this year, why not jump off the Christmas wheel for an hour or two before the big day and enjoy a bit […]

12 days of Christmas getactiveabc gives to you the chance to win a 12 month Platinum Membership! All you have to do is ‘check-in’ on facebook to any of the 10 participating Centres between 12 Dec and 24th Dec and you’ll be automatically entered into the competition. Participating Centres include: Banbridge Leisure Centre Cascades Leisure […]

Choose to Lose is a free 12 week healthy weight management program for Adults who are overweight or obese and want to improve their health, become more active and lose weight. Choose to Lose includes a weekly physical activity session. The program takes place at the Tennis Pavilion Lurgan Park every Wednesday 17th January to […]

Join in the festive fun this season at our very exciting snow tube with Santa event at Craigavon Golf & Ski centre, providing excellent fun, Snowtubing is one of our most popular activities. From years 3 to 12, enjoy the exhilaration of Snowtubing during the most wonderful time of the year. The alpine lodge café […]

Lord Mayor, Cllr Alderman Gareth Wilson and pupils from Hardy Memorial Primary School in Richhill were getting into the Halloween Spirit at the launch of the Spooktacular Halloween Schemes. The schemes will take place from Monday 30 October to Friday 3 November at Richhill and Tandragee Recreation Centre. The schemes are suitable for children and […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are issuing key safety information to cyclists across the borough – helping to ensure they, along with other road users and pedestrians, stay safe and well. Working in partnership with the Borough’s Policing and Community Partnership, the council has developed a fact-filled leaflet, detailing ways cyclists can stay […]

Disability Sport NI recently launched a project which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people with disabilities in Northern Ireland, through participation in sport and active recreation – and the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon area will benefit greatly. The ‘District Council Disability Sports Hub Project’ gave all council areas disability sports equipment […]

Following the overwhelming demand for Portadown People’s Park Halloween Spooktacular event, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is releasing extra tickets for the event which takes place on Monday 30th October! Have your computer, tablet or mobile phone ready to go this Friday 20th October at 4pm for your chance to get your hands on these […]

In preparation for the impact of Storm Ophelia, the council has agreed the following closures as precautionary measures in the interests of our customers and staff. We apologise for any inconvenience. Bin Collections Bins Collections will cease at 12noon today, please ensure your bin is secure. We will advise as soon as possible when missed […]

Armagh 10 Mile Road Race and 4 Mile Fun Challenge Winners Announced The Armagh 10 mile road race and 4 mile fun challenge now in its 18th year took place on Sunday 8th October with 696 participants between the two events. The first male home in 10 mile race was Eoghan Totten from Newcastle […]

Spookily sporty fun for kids this Halloween Kids are in for a spooktacular time this half term thanks to Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s hauntingly happening Halloween Activity Programme. Delivered by the Sport Northern Ireland’s Lottery-funded Every Body Activity 2020 Programme Coaches, the programme offers young people from across the borough the opportunity […]

Ulster GAA in partnership with Ulster Rugby and the Irish FA are hosting a multi-sports volunteering forum ‘Stay in the Game – Promoting Lifelong Wellbeing through Sport’ on Thursday 31st August 2017 from 6:30pm – 9pm in the Athletic Grounds, Armagh GAA. The event is suitable for club volunteers from all three sports with a […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has signed-off plans for the new super leisure centre at the South Lakeshore, Craigavon and has applied for planning permission. With a target date for completion in the spring of 2020, the South Lakes Leisure Centre incorporates a state of the art design and will have something to […]

Congratulations to Chloe Stoops, winner of the Water Safety competition which was done as part of the Drowning Prevention activities at Richhill Recreations Centre’s Summer Scheme . The prize, RLSS Water Bottle and a set of Rookie Lifeguard Lessons in the Orchard Leisure Centre, was presented by the Lord Mayor of Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon […]

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are making a splash with the return of the £1 Junior Swim offer at leisure centres across the borough. Banbridge Leisure Centre, Cascades Leisure Centre, Craigavon Leisure Centre, Orchard Leisure Centre and Waves Leisure Complex will all be providing the popular deal which allows children and young people […]

Outdoor activities at Craigavon Watersports and Golf Ski Centres The key benefits of establishing outdoor activities as an important part of your child’s life have a wide range of benifits across health ,social and wellbeing areas. By undertaking adequate outdoor activity you will see an increase in health and physical development by improving sensory development, […]

The borough’s state-of-the-art outdoor play facility situated in Solitude Park, Banbridge has been a huge hit with fun loving young folk since it first re-opened in May 2016 following an extensive refurbishment. The new facility has given young people and families from Banbridge and the surrounding areas the chance to enjoy all the benefits of […]

Spring is in the air and with it comes the great news of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s ‘egg-stra’ special activity programme during the Easter holiday period. Organised in conjunction with the Every Body Activity 2020 Programme and Angling First Ltd, the programme offers the opportunity for people across the borough to take […]